Automatic cattle-guard for railways.



No. 885,552. PATENTED APR. 21, 1908.

R. M. WARK. AUTOMATIC CATTLE GUARD FOR'RAILWAYS.

, APPLI GATION FILED SEPTJI. 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 ATTORNEYS R. M. WARK. AUTOMATIC CATTLE GUARD FORRAILWAYS.

APPLIOATION FILED SBPT.11,1907.

PATENTED APR. 21, 1908.

2 SHEET8-SHEET 2.

' WITNESSES I INVENTOI? fig?! RIJBERT IVLWARK.

A TTOHNEYS INK NuRRls Pun-Ens co., yusumawu, o. c

ROBERT M. WARK, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON,

AUTOMATIC CATTLE-GUARD FOR RAILWAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 21, 1908,

Application filed September 11, 1907'. Serial No. 392,306.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT M. WARK, a citizen of the United States, andresiding at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Washington,have invented an Improvement in Automatic Cattle-Guards for Railways, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in that class of vertically swinginggates arranged across railway tracks and adapted to be thrown upward forpreventing cattle passing along the tracks.

The invention is embodied in the construetion, arrangement, andcombination of parts hereinafter described, and shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion ofa railroad track with my improved cattleguard applied thereto and in alowered position. Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 1, the guard being inthe lowered or inoperative position. Fig. 4 is a similar view save thatthe guard is in the elevated or raised position. Fig. 5 is a perspectiveview of the parts constituting my invention, the same being detachedfrom the rails and ties.

1 indicates the rails, and 2, 2, railway track. The ends of the ties,which project laterally beyond the rails, are'connected by metal tiebars 3 for holding them rigidly in position and equidistant. The

ate proper is indicated by A and the platorm by which it is operated byB. The gate comprises a rotary shaft 1 supported in bearings between theties and beneath the rails 1, and a series of bars or palings 5, whichare attached to the shaft and arranged parallel and connected bytransverse bar 6. The platform B comprises side bars 7 and planks 8connecting them, the bars being arranged outside of and parallel to therails 1 and pivoted at one end to the ties 2 by means of a staple 9 andtheir forward ends are connected by a loose swinging joint with therock-shaft 4 of the guard. The planks S extend be neath the rails 1 andlie between the parallel ties 2 and 2, there being sufficient spacebetween these parts to allow the planks to swing up and down with theside bars 7. The

the ties, of a normal position of the guard and platform is indicated inFigs. 1, 2, and 3, and the operative or raised position is indicated inFig. 4.

It will be apparent that in order to hold the guard and platform in theinoperative position, the weight of the platform must becounterbalanced. For this purpose I employ weight-boxes 10, the samebeing wooden boxes attached to and pendent from the rock-shaft 4- andhaving a removable top portion 11 to permit stone or other weights to beplaced in the receptacles. It is apparent that the weight may thus bevarice as required to counterbalance the plat form at all. times andunder varied conditions. \Vhen cattle attempt to pass along the trackthey naturally ste on the broad planks S, and, by their weig it, depressthe platform to the position indicated 1n Fig. 4, whereby the guard A isthrown up in nearly vertical position and effectually obstructs theirfurther )assage. Upon their retiring from the platform, the weight-boxesrestore the platform and guard to the normal position shown in Figs. 1and 8. The spaces between the planks 8 and the ties are not sufficientto allow the feet or legs of the cattle to become wedged or fastenedbetween them, the vertical depth of the ties being such that the planksnever pass below their lower edges; see Fig. 41.

The joint before referred to between the guard A and platform B isformed by a clevis, or U-shaped, link 12 and eye-bar 13 which arepivoted together. The clevises or links are pivoted at 14. to the endsof the platform, as shown in. Fig. 4. When the latform is depressed theeye-bars 13, which form a loose pivot joint with the links 12, arebolted to the upper sides of the rockshaft 4. By this means the platformand guard are connected directly, or without aid of any partssupplemental to the links 12 and eye-bars 13, and besides being anexceedingly strong and durable connection, it is a very inexpensive one.

What I. claim is:

The combination, with railway rails and ties, of the improvedcattle-guard comprising a platform formed of side bars 7, arrangedoutside of the rails, and planks 8 connecting the said bars, the guardproper formed of parallel bars and arock-shaft to on the ends thereofexterior to the tr-ack- 10 which they are secured, and couplingsberails, as shown and described.

tween the side bars 7 and said guard, con- J In testimony whereof, Ihave affixed my sisting of llIilfS l2 1vlvhicih are pigotefdb to, lsignaturein the presence of two witnesses. swin vertica y0n,t eaojacenten so ars r 7, an d eye-bars 13 jointed with the said links ROB WARK'and secured to the rock shaft, and the weight-receiving boxes 10attached to, and pendent from, the rock-shaft and arranged Witnesses:

M. P. MoRsE, D. E. TWITOHELL.

